Spark Joy In Your Home AND Your Relationship With These Life Changing Tidying Tips

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Unless you’ve been living under a rock (or don’t own a television, or ever look at the internet), you’ve likely heard of tidying guru, Marie Kondo. If you haven’t, she’s the adorable—and insanely organised—woman behind the Netflix hit, Tidying Up With Marie Kondo, author of two bestselling books and the creator of the KonMari Method™.

Marie’s signature tidying method, the KonMari Method™, approaches decluttering from a category-by-category method instead of room-by-room, which she believes leads to lasting results. By encouraging people to only keep items that “spark joy” and release items that have overstayed their welcome in the home, she is able to instill mindfulness and introspection into the process. Instead of viewing decluttering the home as a chore, Marie helps people to shift their mindset and make organisation a way of life. Plus, she’s invented the most amazing way to fold clothes and we can’t stop watching her fold any and everything on YouTube—we’re mesmerised!

Why Tidy?

Needless to say, we’re on board with Marie! Not only does tidying lead to a neater living space (let’s be honest, there’s nothing better than coming home to a clean house!), doing an organisational overhaul on your home can help to strengthen your bond with your partner and family, too. Here’s how:

Tidy Homes Help Eliminate Stress

Per the comment above, there is almost nothing better than walking into your clean and tidy home after a long day. However, coming home to a disorganised home day after day can feel like an uphill battle, putting unnecessary stress not only on yourself, but your family dynamic. In this study, 62 percent of couples said that sharing household chores is important for marital success. Making the time and effort to come together with your partner and family to tackle the mess together—and for good—helps to relieve tension longterm. You’ll be more present and appreciate the daily moments with your loved one.

Less Clutter, More Focus

Do you find yourself getting easily distracted by items in your home, even when you should be focusing on family events? Then it may be time to tidy up! Studies show that too much clutter, especially when it’s highly visible, results in a lessened ability to focus. Purging items that no longer serve you is the perfect way to align your focus so you can spend more uninterrupted time at home with your loved ones. Research also shows that owning an excessive amount of items can impair cognitive abilities like planning, problem-solving and memory. No thanks!

Cleaning Towards a Common Goal

Achieving goals feels amazing. Achieving goals with your partner feels even better! Setting a goal together—whether it’s with your significant other, kids or entire family—as a team, and working towards that goal helps to strengthen bonds. Setting a few weekends aside and making a plan to organise together (and then celebrating after in your super organised home!) allows you to hone your teamwork skills. When the task as hand is complete, everyone will feel more fulfilled.

Practical Tips for Tidying Your Space

While there are tidying tips on tidying tips to be gleaned from Marie Kondo’s method (seriously, we never stop learning from her!), there are a few overarching themes that we find especially helpful when thinking about your next home organisation project:

Tackle Categories, Not Rooms

Instead of decluttering room-by-room, Marie recommends separating everything into five main categories and organising from there, in this order: clothes, books, papers/documents, “komono” or miscellaneous items, and sentimental items. When you approach decluttering with this method, not only are you less overwhelmed, you really get an idea of all the things you have—and all things you may no longer need to hold onto.

Focus on the “Keep” Pile

Sure, getting rid of (i.e. donating) half of your wardrobe, book or craft supply collection is overwhelming. But by using Marie’s method and mindset of sparking joy, it’s easier to focus on all the items that make you happy—your “keep” pile—versus all the things you’re saying goodbye to. A good rule of thumb: if you haven’t worn it, used it or thought about it in the last year, consider letting it go unless it spark joy.

Give Everything a Home

Perhaps one of the most important takeaways from Marie Kondo is giving each and every item in your home a home. A designated place for each and every item you own is key to maintaining a tidy home. When you walk into your home, there should be a designated place for you bag, your keys, etc. Not only is this a fantastic habit to keep an organised living space, putting everything back in the right place ensures you’ll be able to find it when you need it.

To learn more about Marie Kondo and the KonMari Method™, visit her website site here.